Persuasive Writing Ms. Walsh

Persuasive Writing Persuasive writing is writing that tries to convince a reader to do something or to believe what you believe about a certain topic. It takes a position for or against something.

Persuasive Writing can be used to… Purpose Support a cause Urge people to action Make a change Prove something wrong Persuasive Statement “Please support my football team by buying discount coupons.” “Vote for Sarah!” “The principal should let us wear hats.” “Cell phones don’t cause brain cancer.”

Persuasive Writing can be used to… Purpose Stir up sympathy Create interest Get people to agree with you Persuasive Statement “If you don’t adopt this dog, it could have to live in a shelter.” “Better grades get you a better job and more money.” “I am sure you’ll agree that Milky Way is the best candy bar.”

Persuasive writing follows a certain format: INTRODUCTION with a “hook” and thesis statement BODY – argue why your opinion is right and the other side is wrong (counterargument). CONCLUSION main point is revisited so the readers is left with something to think about.

First…Know Your Audience… Graders don’t care so much WHAT you write as HOW you write it. STAAR writing is about the business of writing. Essay writing is a J-O-B! Your job is to convince that your opinion is valid and the other side of the coin is dead wrong. Do what the Rubric requires and you will be rewarded.

Second… Pick a side! The writer must clearly state his/her position and stay with that position. Pick a side! Generally, the position is stated in the opening paragraph or introduction.

Three: Get Creative In order to convince the reader you need more than just an opinion; you need compelling evidence to back your argument. Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

Four: MAKE A PLAN, then write! The 3-4 Paragraph Essay: 1. Introduction/Hook/Thesis 2. Argument w/ enough support 3. Counter Argument – slam the other side 4. Conclusion

DOS and DON’Ts of Persuasive Writing: Don’t get caught up in the BS that isn’t part of the prompt Read this…. Think about this… (Instead of “I think we shouldn’t wear uniforms” say “Uniforms shouldn’t be required.” Don’t be wishy-washy. Pick a side… that is the task! Don’t forget to keep looking at that rubric and checking for requirements. Do: Avoid the brick and indent multiple paragraphs Have a thesis statement in your introduction Rock your body paragraph with support that shows you have muscles Counterargument always helps but isn’t necessary Have a conclusion that has a “clincher statement”

The Great Introduction… What makes an good introduction? It grabs or “hooks” the reader’s attention by using one or more of the following strategies: An anecdote or scenario A quotation An interesting fact or statistic A question It tells how the writing will be organized. The author’s position is clearly stated in a thesis statement.

Grabbing Your Audience… Good strategies used in introductions: Use an Anecdote/ Scenario The writer provides a personal experience or made-up situation to introduce the position. Questioning The writer asks thought-provoking questions to capture the reader’s interest. Interesting fact or statistic The writer gives an interesting piece of information to grab the reader’s attention. Lets Take A Look….

You Could Start with a Riddle: “What’s plain, and boring? What makes all students in a school building look the same and lose their individuality? If you guessed UNIFORMS, you’re correct!”

You Could Begin with a Strong Statement: Example: Fast food consumption has risen 500 percent since 1970 and today reaches nearly every part of society, including some public school cafeterias.

You Could Open with a interesting fact: Did you know that a typical child needs 2,000 calories for an entire day and Burger King’s Whopper with triple cheese has 1,230 calories? Even if you make up stats… just make them believable!

You Could Open with an Anecdote: An anecdote can provide an amusing and attention-getting opening if it is short and to the point. My hands felt sticky after pulling open the doors to “Big Bobby’s Boisterous Burger Hut”. The odor smelled of fried everything. I ordered a Big Bobby Combo #2. There was enough food to serve a small third world country on my tray. I nibbled at the ¾ pound burger and my chin was covered in a mayonnaise and ketchup concoction. I asked the server if I could have a few fries with my salt. I left the place feeling like my stomach was mad at me.”

You Could Open with a Fact or Statistic: Thirty percent of the children in the survey ate fast food on any given day during the survey, and they ate an average of 187 calories a day more than those who did not eat fast food. These additional calories could account for an extra six pounds of weight gain per year, according to research. Seriously, you can make up this data on STAAR EOC!!!

You Could Open with a Question: How many times have you eaten fast food this month?

Open with an Outrageous Statement: Fast food is killing America!

Next: Creating a Thesis Statement A thesis statement is 1-2 sentence at the end of your introduction that states your opinion on the issue: it needs to be clear and understandable. To get started, choose 3 main focus points to discuss in your essay. These points will become the fbody of your paper. Let’s use fast food as an example again. Fast food…(3 Discussion Points) rapidly increases weight causes high blood pressure leads to sluggishness

Writing the Thesis Statement Now take your three main focus points and summarize them. Put your completed thesis statement at the end of your first paragraph. THREE MAIN FOCUS POINTS I believe fast food is harmful because it rapidly increases weight, causes high blood pressure, and leads to lethargy. COMPLETED THESIS STATEMENT I believe fast food has negative health effects.

Our Introductory Paragraph: CATCHY TITLE Fast Food Is Killing America! Did you know that a typical child needs 2,000 calories for an entire day and Burger King’s Whopper with triple cheese has 1,230 calories? That is far more calories than anyone needs in one day! Fast food consumption has risen 500 percent since 1970 and today reaches nearly every part of society, including some public school cafeterias. Fast food is harmful because it rapidly increases weight, causes high blood pressure, and leads to sluggishness. Fast food is bad for your health! HOOK THE READER YOUR THREE ARGUMENTS THESIS STATEMENT Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

Three Supporting Paragraphs: Use each of the main arguments you used in your introductory paragraph and expand on each giving facts and reasons. For your body write how fast food increases weight, then argue how it causes high blood pressure and also argue how it leads to sluggishness. Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

You’ll Need to Show “The Other Side…” How many of you have been in a discussion with someone and you remember saying, “Yeah, that’s true, but…” This is called a counter-argument. It’s the “other side” of the argument. You’ll need to tell your reader what the counter-argument is and prove why it shouldn’t matter. Let’s take a look using our example of fast food…

The Other Side of the Story This is where you should explain why your opposition believes what they believe. For example: “A fast food company wouldn’t agree with the points in this essay. They would have lots of reasons why fast food is good. They may say…”it’s convenient” or “It’s fine if eaten in moderation.” These arguments just don’t hold up when you take all the facts into consideration! Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

Conclude or End Your Essay… What makes an good conclusion? Last paragraph summarizes your main point. End using one or more of the following strategies: Call the reader to action Anecdote or scenario Make a Prediction The last paragraph wraps up the writing and gives the reader something to think about. Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

Strategies for Conclusions Call to Action Ask the reader to do something or to make something happen “I challenge you to watch what you eat and to avoid fast food.” Provide a solution Provide an answer to the problem “Fast food doesn’t have to be “bad food.” Make better choices like salads, fruit and low fat treats.” Make a Prediction Explain what might be the consequences of action or inaction “If people continue to eat lots of fast food, they put their health at risk. If kids don’t make better choices today, they won’t grow into healthy adults.” Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

Concluding Paragraph: Restate your thesis. End with… A comment (Don’t make your body suffer!) A question (Are you willing to risk your health?) A call to action (I highly recommend you consider your options the next time your faced with a decision about what to eat.) In closing, it’s important to remember that too much fast food can have negative effects on your health. If not eaten in moderation, you can gain weight, suffer from high blood pressure and become slow and sluggish. Is it worth the risk to your body? Eat Healthy and Make good choices! Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

Review: The Persuasive Essay: Introductory paragraph with a hook, background if necessary, and a clear thesis. A compelling argument (support of thesis) Address the counter-argument (optional) Closing paragraph that re-states your thesis and challenges the reader to think about it the issue. Walsh Publishing Co. 2009

Don’t Forget… Make sure to read over your work and edit for mechanics and spelling. Write neatly! Include detail and great vocabulary. Your unique writing voice should be heard in the reader’s head. Walsh Publishing Co. 2009